Frenetic ramblings from the start of the "War on Terror" logging my attempts to film outside Finsbury park mosque over 3 years and sitting through all the subsequent court cases. These days I write about whatever and generally stay out of trouble. Do visit Youtube.com/malungtvnews

December 18, 2008

...McCain was asked if he would back Palin in 2012. His terse reply was that he “can’t say something like that,” adding that the GOP has a stable of great governors poised to play a greater leadership role in the party, according to a report in The Hill.

“I have the greatest appreciation for Gov. Palin and her family, and it was a great joy to know them,” he conceded. “She invigorated our campaign.”

McCain used the forum to voice support for President-elect Barack Obama and for some of Obama’s Cabinet choices. He said that the national security team picks could be his own. He also praised the tapping of Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary, according to the report.

McCain, however, was quick to condemn the tactic of the Republican National Committee seeking to take political advantage of the arrest of Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich - by attempting to link the incoming Obama administration to the controversy.

“In all due respect to the Republican National Committee and anybody - right now, I think we should try to be working constructively together, not only on an issue such as this, but on the economy stimulus package, reforms that are necessary,”McCain said...

December 13, 2008

I watched the Money Programme about the state of British pubs. Intersting stuff. When I was at art college I worked in a great pub in Birmingham when lager was under a pound a pint. These were probably some of the best days of my life although like most students I didn't know my ass from my elbow.

I remember the introduction of Pub co's and a dramatic hike in the price of beer over a few years. I moved to London and noticed pubs starting to close. As I had started squatting I found this an advantage. Once you were in, the owners of these closed pubs often left you there until they needed it. Better to have people looking after the place.

I didn't care about Pub co's. The misery of these managers didn't affect me. I have only gone into these big, cheap, "successful" chain pubs with friends who were alchoholics. Inside, they are full of alcholholics. They are seriously sad places. Some of the best parties I have ever been to have been in squatted pubs. I am glad of the conclusion this documentary points to. The only happiness, and the only genuine pub atmosphere, which I thought long gone exists still in free holds and pub co ops. It seems that if you want a good pub you have to buy one with your mates. If you like pubs, take notice, and buy one before there are none left.

Money Programme: Last Orders: Calling Time on Pubs on the iPlayer here

He said: "The police have always said they made mistakes - no-one has ever denied that - but under these intense pressures, this is when mistakes happen and they have tragic consequences."...

A few of my protester friends who spend their time being hassled by the FIT squad try to link this with their grievances about the Police. I can't see it myself. Sure, they are institutionally challenged. Aren't we all? They rarely just shoot people here. This isn't Greece. This was fifteen days after a series of bombings took place in London. How can you shout a warning to someone you have been led to believe is about to trigger a bomb? This is a mistake.

A child suicide bomber is thought to be behind the deaths of three Royal Marines in Afghanistan. The 13-year-old approached a unit south of the Sangin area of Helmand province on Friday with a bomb that killed two soldiers from 45 Commando and one from Commando Logistics Regiment...

December 12, 2008

Don't ever try and film Muslims. Honestly. Meeting Abu Waleed and Mr Choudhary recently reminded me of the frustrating circular quandry I was in with Atilla for so many years. They believe TV is controlled by those with evil intentions. So what if I try and make something my way which involves TV? What if I try and make something which I think might be useful to the British public at large? Or do some straightforward journalism?

No really- they believe the stations are controlled by.. you get the idea.

Its not that they don't have previous experienece to go on. Seeing Mr Choudhary's group I am at a bit of a loss as to what I could concievably do with them. He makes himself available to TV, fairly predictable shows with predictable results. The nugget I need to make any headway into creating something different is the fundemental key to any documentary project- Access. Anyway, I'll keep trying. See what happens. I am quite into other stuff at the moment so I am in no hurry.

I went round to see Hajj a while back to enquire as to the welfare of Mr Hamza's sons now in custody. The news I had read online was news to him.

"If they have done this, they should pay the penalty." he said firmly.

In fairly vague terms he said he wasn't keen about what he heard from East London.

"Shouting about taking over England isn't any way to speak to the kaffirs. How will anyone learn about Islam if I first make them my enemy?" I think he said. Something along those lines anyway.

He always talks in quite glowing terms about the UK.

"The reason Islam is good in the UK is because we live amongst the best of the kaffirs." he told the young guys who were also round keeping him awake into the night. When a couple of them look at him questioningly, he lays down the law, repeating himself with finality and certainty. And thats it. And this guy stood on the other side of Hamza to Atilla. For the whole time I was in Finsbury. He is just TV gold.

I know by now that the main reason for these guys to speak to a kaffir is to try and bring him to Islam. One of the guys had another fairly good attempt with me.

"He understands it all. He knows all this is true." says Hajj.

I don't get this at all. We ended up talking about anal sex in more detail than I am used to. Why should I care if people have anal sex? Personally I would only do it to afemale if she asked me nicely. All these concepts around how people hold belief. Would that make a good film? God knows. If he or she exists they do anyway. Anyway I don't care. I just like people who I like for whatever reasons suits me and everyone else can fuck off.

Apart from that I've done a few disastrous gigs which have musically been OK. I didn't puke anyway. I have been learning how to put down slate floors which is ace. I love it. We taught ourselves plastering from a Youtube video with results we are happy with, saving oursleves hundreds of pounds. I was asked for some footage by someone in the National Front. This is my movie about them. I had to decline as I don't support the National Front though I don't doubt that any of the guys who I spoke to would make fascinating TV.

However you say things through the amplification of media would be distorted. I was talking to Mike the other day about how all the Muslims we have met want to be "Clones of the prophet". I can say that here, but if it gets any further this could sound like I was being seriously offensive to Muslims. What to do?

I was asked the other day to remove some comments from my youtube page which a Muslim in Canada found offensive. I quite like the way youtube comments are a serious lowest common denominator comment wise. I am pro freedom of speech and against censorship. I try to pretend I am above intelectual snobbery regarding those who comment in an err.. more expresive way than I do with less opportunities to get a grip on spelling than I had.

No. Really, its like running a fucking playground.

Here is a bit of sporadic conversation I had recently through my Youtube inbox

Youtuber: yo do u belive in all this shit and hatred people chat agenst the west ???????

Bones: Do I believe what?

Youtuber: all the shit them musilms about how they hate the west so much and all this crap of haterid and no pice

Bones: Do I believe "all the shit them musilms about how they hate the west so much and all this crap of haterid and no pice"? I don't believe or disbelieve anything. Does this answer your question?

I received no answer.

When I look at my webstats I often wonder what the fuck I am writing about myself. The most common searches which end up here are Antichrist cookbook, Squirtwoman, varitions on "Fucking paki", "Sand Nigger" etc. and a whole load of shit about lap dancing.

I am wondering if Charlie Brooker is going to save TV. His piece about advertising was excellent, as was his piece about TV writers about their craft. I just noticed his next target is documentaries.

Anything else? Oh yeah. I re read Stranger in a Strange land. A friend has a copy which boasted of being Heinlein's original manuscript discovered by his wife after his death, with a whole load of extra stuff which he had been asked to cut. This was before science fiction became the genre it is now. The publisher felt he should only take a chance on less words. Shaking the dust off their memories, everyone re read it and agreed it was better, so out it came.

What struck me straight away was in how much detail I remember this book as the last time I read it I was 14. As for the new words, they must have been "ifs" "ands" and "buts" because I couldn't find them. The next thing to occur to me was how much older I am reading it now. Last time I read this there was no internet, moblie phones, digital media etc which now date Heinleins referal to type writers, tape recording, libraries etc. He is still ahead with flying cars, one world government and 3D TV.

I am amazed by how much of the beliefs about life I have now were shaped by reading this book.

December 11, 2008

the biggest challenge, I think, is always maintaining your moral compass. Those are the conversations I’m having internally. I’m measuring my actions against that inner voice that for me at least is audible, is active, it tells me where I think I’m on track and where I think I’m off track

December 10, 2008

December 09, 2008

Checking through the blogs I found out Oliver Postgate has died. I was just watching Noggin the Nog and a bit of Ivor the engine with 'im o' the nails the other night. I think he'll be very sad. Clicking over to Oliver Postgates website I couldn't help noticing he is recommending a novel way to deal with the quandry Afghan poppy growers find themselves in-

The Afghan farmers have no option but to sell their produce to the drug-traders who bank-roll the Taliban, or have it destroyed and so lose their livelihood.

After the British and Coalition forces have fought their way across Hellmand Province in Afghanistan and have ‘taken’ villages and settlements of farmers who grow poppies for sale to the illegal drug-trade via the Taliban insurgents, they must retreat again to prepared positions. Before they leave they are faced with the prospect of destroying the poppy-crop. This they can do either by burning it or, as has been proposed, by spraying plant-poison on it from the air.

This action would immediately destroy the farmers’ means of livelihood and so engender enormous hatred and hostility towards the Coalition forces, thus encouraging the farmers to welcome the return of the Taliban as soon as the coast is clear.

The alternative, of leaving the poppy-crop intact, is more likely to increase the friendliness of the Afghan farmers, but would allow them to harvest a valuable crop for which the drug-dealers will pay a good price to the Taliban which will use it to buy sophisticated weaponry to use against the Coalition forces.

The only viable alternative is the heretofore unthinkable one of subsidising and helping the Afghan government actually to buy the poppy-harvest and convert it into medicine in village-centred processing plants in Afghanistan.

Maybe they could name one of these processing plants after Mr Postgate. Better still, they could name them after some of his characters. The Clangers scag house maybe?

December 02, 2008

...A fortnight ago, a terrorism-supporting group gathered with 300 supporters in council property in Britain's most densely Muslim-populated area, Tower Hamlets, and called for rejection of British law and support for convicted terrorists in prison. They beamed in from Lebanon the banned cleric Omar Bakri, who called on young Muslims to disobey the law.

Afterwards, a blame game broke out between the police, the Home Office and the local authority as to how this banned group gathered without being noticed. ( Did it? I never knew. They met again on Sunday in Southall but it was a bit far for me..) If we are unable to stop such events, or even disrupt the phone line from Beirut to London, then not much faith can be placed in our law enforcement agencies' surveillance of extremists...